My consciousness fell into an endless dark abyss.
My thoughts drifted, elusive and distant.
In fact, when Song Langsheng described his conversation with Father Emperor, there was one thing I couldn’t figure out no matter how I tried.
Why didn’t Father Emperor inform the Crown Prince of the detailed plan? If the Crown Prince could coordinate with Song Langsheng from within, wouldn’t it be twice as effective with half the effort?
Father Emperor couldn’t possibly have no reservations about Song Langsheng, and even less likely would he let the Crown Prince know nothing.
I suddenly remembered the Crown Prince’s carrier pigeon messages. Song Langsheng even brought carrier pigeons when traveling – he and the Crown Prince must frequently exchange letters in private.
I’m afraid the Crown Prince had known all along that Song Langsheng was Father Emperor’s hidden piece placed beside Marquis Xia Yang.
Then why would the Crown Prince hide everything from me and pursue Song Langsheng to complete destruction?
There was only one explanation – from the beginning, the Crown Prince never intended to spare Song Langsheng’s life. Song Langsheng’s identity as Prince Rui’s son posed countless threats to the current heir apparent, making it impossible to rest easy without eliminating him.
So after gaining control of the situation, after I opened the former dynasty’s secret place, he had already become the Crown Prince’s discarded piece.
Song Langsheng probably realized this too.
Yet when he escaped, he still didn’t forget to “sever all ties” with me and “affectionately” took Cai Mi away.
He didn’t give up the game with Feng Li, the maneuvering with Nie Guang, nor did he abandon his agreement with Father Emperor just because he’d become a discarded piece.
He said: If this conspiracy cannot be stopped, when will the realm ever have peace?
So he didn’t tell me the truth and burned the garment covered with writing.
Those flames didn’t just burn the garment – they burned my heart that wanted to trust him.
He wanted to use the Crown Prince’s abandonment and my hatred to thoroughly gain Nie Guang’s trust and protect what he wanted to protect.
There was someone in this world who loved me so deeply, protecting me unto death, yet I didn’t need to know about it.
This was probably the worst ending in any love story.
I don’t know how long I wandered in confused thoughts in that sunless whirlpool, only remembering that when I thought of this, I struggled to open my eyes.
My eyes were dazzled by the morning light pouring into the cave, and I saw golden light scattered everywhere. I rubbed my eyes – the campfire had died out, daylight was bright, and even the heavy snow had stopped.
I tried to turn and get up, but found a pair of large hands circling my waist from behind, holding me in an embrace that made it difficult to move.
I slowly turned my head.
Long eyelashes were close at hand, quietly covering his handsome face – this was Song Langsheng’s sleeping countenance, peaceful and beautiful.
I reached out to gently stroke his brow, but unexpectedly saw that the purple discoloration of the blood vessels on my wrist had disappeared. I was startled, then lifted my sleeve to see that my skin had returned to its former smooth whiteness. The discomfort in my chest had also completely vanished, and my entire being felt as light as if reborn.
The poison was cured?
I stared blankly at my fingers, then looked in disbelief at the Prince Consort still sleeping.
Why did I still remember him? Remember how he held me up in the endless snowy field yesterday, remember his soft whispers to me at night, remember every detail that had happened these two years?
What was going on?
Hadn’t Xiu Zhu said that after taking the antidote, I would suffer heart-piercing pain for a full day and forget everything from the poisoning period?
But I had only passed one night before awakening, not only without suffering heart-piercing pain, but even more incredibly, I hadn’t forgotten anything?
At this time someone outside the cave called loudly: “Young Master!”
Seeing Song Langsheng about to be awakened, I instinctively closed my eyes and pretended to sleep, only hearing the voice draw nearer – it was definitely Xiu Zhu.
“Young Master, I finally found you!”
I felt Song Langsheng sit up, touch my face, then roll up my sleeve. After a while he replied: “The wind and snow were too heavy last night, so I brought the Princess here to shelter temporarily. Xiu Zhu, come take a look – is the Princess alright?”
Xiu Zhu came forward to take my pulse, saying: “The Princess’s pulse is calm, her complexion has color – the poison should be cured. Young Master need not worry excessively.”
Song Langsheng hummed in acknowledgment and asked: “Where are the others?”
“Yesterday when the Young Master disappeared, everyone naturally split up to search for the Young Master’s traces. I estimated that the Young Master would turn back to find the Princess, so I retraced our path. After the snow stopped, I finally found this place.” Xiu Zhu paused and said: “Actually, I already delivered the antidote to the Princess’s hands. Young Master didn’t need to risk coming – if Young Master Feng learns of this, I’m afraid the Young Master’s previous arrangements will be ruined.”
Song Langsheng said coldly: “Acting on your own authority. You don’t know that when I found the Princess yesterday, she was nearly frozen to death. If I had been one step later, even giving her seven or eight divine pills wouldn’t have saved her.”
Xiu Zhu made a sound of surprise: “How could that be? When I delivered the medicine yesterday, the Princess had already walked to the foot of the mountain. Going forward there was a large area of villages – couldn’t she just borrow a bowl of hot water from any farmhouse to take the antidote?”
Song Langsheng sighed: “…Don’t you know the Princess has no sense of direction?”
Xiu Zhu: “…”
Me: “…”
Song Langsheng continued: “She once fell into the same trap on the same mountain… twice…”
Xiu Zhu: “…This subordinate was foolish, this subordinate shouldn’t have judged the Princess by ordinary people’s abilities…”
Me: “…”
Xiu Zhu said: “Young Master, this place is not suitable for staying long. The carriage is not far away – we should set out first and make plans later.”
Song Langsheng said: “Good.”
Throughout this journey I was thinking whether to tell him I was fine and my memory was intact, but remembering his various behaviors after I took the medicine last night, I worried he would hide things from me again to protect me, so I couldn’t help hesitating.
Men are like this – you earnestly tell them “please trust me, I will support you, tell me what you want to do,” and they treat you like a child acting on emotion. In the end, after going in circles, they still handle things their own way. Rather than sharing the storms together, they’d rather hide you in a safe place and only feel at ease letting you out after the storm passes.
After several internal struggles, I decided to keep pretending to sleep and take things one step at a time.
Song Langsheng carefully carried me into the carriage. This carriage was much smaller – it shouldn’t be the Princess Manor’s carriage anymore. He gently let my head rest on his leg, found a cushion to support my waist, covered me with the fox fur, and said to Xiu Zhu: “Let’s go.”
Xiu Zhu cracked his whip to start the carriage. I didn’t know which direction we were heading. He said: “Young Master, in this subordinate’s opinion, we can’t bring the Princess along. Right now the entire capital’s soldiers are searching for the Princess’s whereabouts. If we’re discovered, with just our two men’s strength, we might find it hard to break through the encirclement. Since the Princess’s poison is cured, why not find a household, give them some silver, and leave her there…”
Song Langsheng pondered: “Today the Princess might suffer heart-piercing pain. I… I cannot leave her side…”
Xiu Zhu sighed: “Don’t tell me you want to bring the Princess to ‘our place’? If Young Master Feng notices, he’ll surely realize that the Young Master’s break with the Princess was only to gain their trust. If Marquis Xia Yang learns of it, he’ll keep the Princess as a hostage. Then, attacked from both sides, it would truly be a complete failure.”
Hearing this, my heart jumped slightly. So Xiu Zhu had long known Song Langsheng’s position and motives – then why did he tell me yesterday that he was Marquis Xia Yang’s advisor? Which of his words were true, which were false, and which side did he really belong to?
“After the Princess safely passes through today and awakens, I will naturally send her back to the Crown Prince’s side.” Song Langsheng said: “In a moment, send word to Mao Lin saying you just found me, that I’m injured and can’t walk easily, and I’ll return before tonight. Before then, take good care of Miss Cai Mi.”
—————————————————Second Update—————————————————
Xiu Zhu made a sound of acknowledgment: “Young Master, things having come to this point, even the Crown Prince wants to eliminate you – will you really keep hiding the truth from the Princess?”
Song Langsheng was silent for a moment, then said: “Do you remember the troops that caught up when we escaped the city gates the other day? They shot arrows at us without regard for the Princess’s safety. What does this indicate?”
I silently answered in my heart: It indicates that the commander of those troops received wrong information, thinking I wasn’t in the carriage, so they dared act recklessly.
Xiu Zhu asked: “Young Master means… they wanted to kill the Princess?”
I thought that if I wasn’t keeping my eyes tightly shut, I would surely roll my eyes right now. Song Langsheng sighed helplessly: “If they knew the Regent Princess was in the carriage, even with ten times the courage they wouldn’t dare…”
Xiu Zhu: “…Then?”
Song Langsheng said: “He Pingzhao was willing to let me escape rather than let the Princess suffer any harm, which shows that the troops pursuing us couldn’t have been on the Crown Prince’s orders. It’s very likely the commander received wrong information, which is why they shot arrows at us…”
Xiu Zhu seemed to understand: “Could it be that Marquis Xia Yang’s people planted in the military were interfering? But logically, the Young Master still has use to the Marquis. If the Young Master died, he’d have no legitimate reason to command the former dynasty’s old soldiers. To eliminate the Young Master at this time…”
Song Langsheng said: “Eliminate? If we could be easily eliminated by that group of soldiers, how could we be sitting here safely now…”
Xiu Zhu was completely confused: “This, this Young Master, please stop speaking in riddles – I can’t guess these twists and turns…”
Song Langsheng asked in return: “If the Crown Prince later sent people to find the Princess’s carriage and discovered the carriage body riddled with arrows, what would he do?”
Xiu Zhu suddenly understood: “The Crown Prince would fly into a rage and dismiss and investigate that presumptuous commander… So this was to frame someone?”
“Just like how the Crown Prince created that Princess Manor explosion to frame the Divine Machine Battalion Commander Wan Yi, all because he learned from Nie Ran that Wan Yi was my man…” Song Langsheng said worriedly: “Unfortunately, Wan Yi was indeed truly loyal to His Majesty. Nie Ran’s discord strategy actually caused the Crown Prince to lose a capable general. With Wan Yi’s fall, the Crown Prince will likely promote Right Deputy General Liu Zhong, and Liu Zhong happens to be Nie Guang’s man.”
My heart sank. So Nie Ran’s risking his life to save me and pretending to sincerely confess so many conspiracies to me was just to use me and the Crown Prince to eliminate Wan Yi and eliminate Song Langsheng?
I was filled with regret, hating that I had been blinded by hatred at the time, unable to distinguish right from wrong. But I heard Xiu Zhu say: “So the Marquis used the same trick again to plant more of his people in the Imperial City’s forces, so that when the uprising comes, he can know himself and his enemy?”
Song Langsheng hummed in agreement: “Without losing a single soldier while disrupting the enemy’s formation – this should be Feng Li’s strategy…”
Xiu Zhu said: “Then the Young Master should tell the Princess the truth even more, let the Princess convey it to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Song Langsheng laughed coldly: “The Crown Prince is no longer what he used to be. He can calmly step by step take back the various powers the Princess holds, having already developed wariness toward the Princess. Even if the Princess returns to the palace and speaks, the Crown Prince will only think I’ve bewitched the Princess – how could he believe such one-sided words?”
Xiu Zhu sighed: “I’m beginning to understand why the Young Master doesn’t let the Princess know too much…”
I silently wept inside – so he really does think I’m a hindrance?
“The Crown Prince’s trust in the Princess these years has been built on their unified position. The Princess has indeed devoted herself wholeheartedly to assisting the Crown Prince. I worry the Princess would openly oppose the Crown Prince for my sake. If this causes more incidents, it would be even harder for me to control the situation.” Song Langsheng seemed to sigh: “Now Feng Li has the upper hand, and we need to let him continue having this advantage. When he thinks his step-by-step schemes are about to succeed, that’s often exactly when we have our opportunity.”
Xiu Zhu said: “Understood.”
Song Langsheng’s words were like pearls – I never knew he was so skilled at strategy. Thinking of how I used to show off in front of him and even mocked him for only knowing how to judge cases, my heart bled even more. But then I heard Song Langsheng say: “The Princess is resourceful and intelligent. If it weren’t for me being in danger today, she wouldn’t have lost her composure. Feng Li and Nie Ran saw exactly this point, which is why they dared target her… It was my thoughtlessness before that caused the Princess to fall into danger several times. This mistake – I won’t make it again in the future…”
Translated, Song Langsheng’s words meant: Don’t look at how smart the Princess seems – whenever something involves him, Song Langsheng, she becomes an idiot who can be manipulated by anyone. Before, he thought I wouldn’t fall for tricks, but later discovered he was overthinking it, so he decided to let me participate less…
Hearing this, I finally couldn’t bear it anymore and clenched my fists. My eyebrows twitched from anger-induced convulsions, catching Song Langsheng’s attention. He pressed my forehead and said to Xiu Zhu driving the carriage outside: “Stop the carriage – the Princess seems to be starting to have heart palpitations…”
“…”
How could I have forgotten about the heart-piercing pain business…
Xiu Zhu stopped the carriage. Seeing I was in a difficult position, I had no choice but to steel myself and clutch the area around my heart with both hands, groaning in pain. Xiu Zhu first took my pulse and made a sound of surprise: “The Princess’s heart rate is too fast – probably residual poison not completely cleared. The Young Master has also experienced this heart-piercing pain. After today passes, there should be no problem…”
Big brother, I’m nervous! Is your medical skill reliable or not? If not, step aside, okay?
Seeing me like this, Song Langsheng became even more anxious, ordering Xiu Zhu to find a way to reduce my pain.
Xiu Zhu said: “Just need to apply silver needles to the Princess’s Baihui acupoint, Sibai acupoint, Yingxiang acupoint, Ermen acupoint, Yintang acupoint, then coordinate with the Jianjing acupoint, Tianzong acupoint, and Shangxian point – this should temporarily relieve the pain…”
I slightly squinted one eye and saw him unfold a cloth strip full of silver needles, which scared me into gasping. Seeing him pick up a needle about to pierce my forehead, I instinctively cried out and dodged the needle, sitting up straight. My eyes rolled around before I saw Song Langsheng and Xiu Zhu staring at me blankly.
Xiu Zhu still maintained his needle-holding posture: “You…”
Oh… no.
I improvised by blinking and looking at them with confusion: “I… how am I here… where is this?”
Song Langsheng was stunned for a moment and tried to help me. I quickly dodged backward. Seeing me so panicked, he asked gently: “You… can’t remember anything anymore?”
I pressed against the carriage wall, holding my head with my hands, muttering: “My head hurts so much…”
Admittedly, this deceptive behavior wasn’t very good, but he wasn’t exactly honest with me either – this was called treating him as he treated me. Thinking of this, I clapped my hands and pointed at Song Langsheng: “I remember now! Prince Consort, you were secretly meeting in the mountains in the middle of the night when this Princess caught you, so you forced this palace to take deadly poison – isn’t that right?”
Hearing this, Song Langsheng’s form swayed slightly, momentarily speechless. I timely imagined in my mind what reaction I would have if I woke up in that situation from two years ago and saw Song Langsheng again. Despair? Grief and anger? Or getting to the bottom of things?
I turned my angry gaze back to Song Langsheng, brewing my emotions a bit: “I treated you wholeheartedly – why did you treat me this way? Even if you don’t like me, why did you have to harm me?”
He looked at me without speaking. I studied his expression but couldn’t read much emotion. I simply closed my eyes, turned my head away, and said tremblingly: “Since I’ve seen through you, you should have killed me with one stroke. Why use me again? Song Langsheng, to achieve your own goals by using someone who treats you sincerely – how can your conscience be at peace?”
After saying this, I caught my breath appropriately, secretly admiring my masterful acting skills. Especially that last sentence was heavy enough to make him believe it.
I lowered my head, thinking of adding a few more inflammatory words, but heard him say: “So what?”
His tone was flat, as if he paid no attention to my accusations at all. He admitted to all his crimes and was even too lazy to explain much. I thought that if I didn’t know the truth and saw him like this, I would surely believe it.
I turned back to gaze at him. His eyes were indifferent, showing no guilt whatsoever. He was completely different from the sad expression when he burned the garment last night. I knew that the colder he was now, the more pain he felt inside. How much he wanted to tell me the truth, yet how much he feared me falling into danger.
In an instant, my playful mood completely vanished. If I didn’t still have wariness about Xiu Zhu, I would have told Song Langsheng everything right now.
Song Langsheng said coldly: “If the Princess still has doubts, you might ask His Highness the Crown Prince. Song has no time to waste here with the Princess…”
So he was eager to give me the boot?
I ignored his words and continued asking what I had originally planned: “I don’t understand – I clearly jumped off a cliff, so how am I now in your carriage?”
Xiu Zhu quickly answered: “Your Highness Princess, that night until today may seem like one night to you, but to us, it’s been two years. Originally you had reached your deathbed, but fortunately our Young Master fed you the antidote and you came back to life. Actually…”
Song Langsheng cut off his words: “Xiu Zhu, why say more to her?”
I weighed this in my heart, finding it quite strange. Earlier on the road, Song Langsheng had already analyzed the pros and cons with Xiu Zhu – why was he still undermining him in front of me?
I looked at Xiu Zhu, trying hard to widen my eyes: “You mean… two years have already passed?”
Xiu Zhu nodded.
I turned to Song Langsheng in disbelief: “I’m already twenty-one now?”
The Prince Consort, confused by my focus, also frowned.
I beat my head against the ground: “I was clearly only nineteen yesterday, and today I’m so old? What should I do, what should I do!”
“…”
Seeing this, Song Langsheng couldn’t care about sad partings anymore. He leaned close to Xiu Zhu’s ear: “Does Soul-Forgetting Powder damage the brain?”
“Perhaps the poisoning was too deep and she still needs recovery?”
Xiu Zhu reached out to take my pulse. I pulled my hand back and jumped down from the carriage, looking left and right, muttering: “Where is this? Tell me where this is?”
I guess I looked somewhat like I was having an emotional breakdown. Of course, I wasn’t really breaking down.
Since bitter drama had no effect on the Prince Consort, I could only take an unconventional approach, making him feel that my mental state was poor and I couldn’t leave him. This way I could stay by his side longer to gather clues, then find an opportunity to send Xiu Zhu away so we two could sit down and have a proper talk.
To avoid Song Langsheng simply picking me up and putting me back in the carriage to send me directly back to the city, I even ran a few steps outward. But it was precisely these few steps that caused big trouble.
Suddenly, a figure blocked my path.
I looked up and saw He Pingzhao.
He Pingzhao’s eye sockets were so dark it looked like he hadn’t slept for three full days and nights. I estimated the Crown Prince had given him a death order like “if you can’t find the Princess, prepare to offer your head,” so when he saw me he was almost moved to tears and nearly knelt down. “This subordinate came to rescue too late – the Princess has suffered.”
Before I could react, when I turned around, twenty or thirty soldiers with long spears had already surrounded Song Langsheng and Xiu Zhu who had just stepped out of the carriage.
Song Langsheng calmly drew his sword, but heard He Pingzhao laugh coldly: “Let’s see where you can escape to today!”
I was mentally calculating whether the distance between Song Langsheng and me might allow him to take me hostage again, when He Pingzhao very alertly pulled me back several steps, stretching his hand out to shield me: “Princess, don’t be afraid. This time this subordinate absolutely won’t let the rebel take the Princess hostage again.”
Me: “…”
Fortunately, the troops He Pingzhao brought weren’t numerous – he should be using a divided search strategy. With Song Langsheng and Xiu Zhu’s martial arts skills, breaking through the encirclement wouldn’t be difficult.
At this time, He Pingzhao reached into his robe and took out fireworks and a fire starter. My heart jumped – if he lit the signal to summon more troops, how could Song Langsheng escape?
Seeing I couldn’t stop him in time, I planned to pick up a large rock and knock him unconscious directly. But when I turned around, I saw a bearded man holding a long wooden stake standing silently behind He Pingzhao, unhesitatingly using the stake to heavily strike He Pingzhao’s forehead.
With a dull thud, General He collapsed before my eyes.
That must have hurt a lot.
I couldn’t help touching the back of my own head. Only then did the bearded man notice me, making a sound of surprise. Turning his head to see several soldiers already rushing forward with knives, he somewhat slowly dodged the chaotic blades aimed at him, swinging the wooden stake in his hands left and right, directly knocking down several soldiers.
I didn’t know what expression to show toward this strange bearded man, but clearly I wasn’t the only one stunned – the surrounding twenty-plus soldiers were all dazed for a moment, then immediately changed their target of attack, swarming toward the bearded man.
At the same time, over thirty more men in coarse hemp clothes with bristling beards emerged from the bushes. Each held a wooden stake and possessed great strength. In less than half the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, more than twenty proud soldiers of Da Qing were all knocked unconscious on the ground, unable to move and moaning constantly.
I thought that if they had only attacked He Pingzhao and his men, I might have mistaken this group for reinforcements Song Langsheng had summoned.
But I was soon proven wrong. Just as Song Langsheng leaped to my side wanting to take me away in the chaos, this group of bearded men had already raised their weapons to surround us from all directions, not allowing us to escape.
I sighed – the reason they didn’t attack us immediately was indeed because they had other schemes.
I looked up at Song Langsheng and saw his calm expression, so I also relaxed my tense nerves somewhat.
At this time, a man whose half face was almost completely covered by a full beard emerged from the bushes, walking steadily to stand before us. After looking over the three of us, his gaze returned to Song Langsheng and he asked: “Do you know who we are?”
Song Langsheng said calmly: “Mountain bandits who use wooden stakes as weapons – besides Changkong Stronghold, who else in the world?”
The bearded man laughed heartily, his laughter quite fierce: “Changkong Stronghold? Don’t you remember who completely wiped out Changkong Stronghold back then? Where in the world is there still a Changkong Stronghold now?”
Luzhou? I vaguely remembered that when Song Langsheng served in Luzhou, he did indeed achieve merit in suppressing bandits. Could it be… these fish that slipped through the net came for revenge?
Calculating that several years had passed before this group scattered and found their way here, their revenge speed was truly… adequate.
Well, a gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years.
Song Langsheng said indifferently: “Since this is for revenge, it has nothing to do with this young lady and young brother. Song takes responsibility for his own actions – release them, and whether you kill or torture me, I’ll comply with your wishes.”
“You think I’ll fall for that trick?” The bearded man glanced at me. “If I let them go and they bring reinforcements, wouldn’t that be seeking my own death?”
Seeing Song Langsheng about to say something, I quickly laughed. The bearded man, seeing me suddenly laugh, asked: “What are you laughing about?”
I pointed at the soldiers lying on the ground: “Big Beard brother, you just attacked the commander of personal guards and have already committed a capital crime. In a while, layers of Imperial Guards will surround us – why would we need to bring reinforcements?”
The bearded man’s lips trembled: “Aren’t they your bodyguards?”
I shrugged matter-of-factly.
The bearded man drew the short knife from his waist and waved it at Song Langsheng’s neck: “If that’s the case, we’ll tie you up, and if the soldiers want to attack us, we’ll kill you first!”
I couldn’t help laughing again.
Seeing the bearded man glare at me, I said: “Big Beard, let me speak plainly with you. This Lord Song before you is a treacherous rebel wanted by the court. Originally the soldiers were going to kill him, but who knew a Cheng Yaojin would appear halfway – that’s you, hero. Now it’s good – when the Imperial Guards arrive and see you taking this Lord Song away, you’ll surely be considered accomplices of the rebels. Sigh, what a terrible injustice.”
The bearded men all looked at each other upon hearing this. Someone asked the leader: “Chief, I think this girl doesn’t seem to be deceiving us. The wanted poster we saw on the city wall yesterday – the person drawn on it seemed to be… them…”
“I know you’re all very panicked now. After all, implicating your families and even clan members just for revenge would be too much of a loss, wouldn’t it?” I said gently and warmly: “But don’t be nervous. I have a solution that benefits everyone – it can help you take revenge with borrowed blades while keeping all of you completely safe.”
The bearded man raised an eyebrow: “What solution?”
I smiled slightly: “Let them go, then openly escort me back to the capital.”
The bearded man frowned: “Young lady, where does this suggestion come from?”
I asked: “Didn’t you… notice just now? Those twenty-plus soldiers attacked only those two while protecting me behind them. Do you know why?”
The man who had knocked out He Pingzhao nodded: “Chief, I saw her being protected by that person’s side…”
The bearded man asked: “Could it be that you’re not in league with those two?”
I shook my head repeatedly: “Of course not. Not only are we not allies, I have an irreconcilable hatred with them… especially this one surnamed Song. Just because I killed his parents and his wife, he bore a grudge against me, used tricks to kidnap me, gave me poison, and spoke harshly to me. If you hadn’t arrived in time, I probably would have lost my life.” Speaking of this, I patted the bearded man’s shoulder: “Brother, don’t you think he’s an extremely cruel person?”
The bearded men: “…”
The obliquely-glanced-at Song the Cruel: “…”
The bearded man: “Honestly… compared to you, miss, he doesn’t seem so cruel…”
I coughed: “Anyway, the soldiers you accidentally knocked unconscious were originally ordered by the Crown Prince to rescue me. But it doesn’t matter – letting those incompetents go, with their third-rate skills they couldn’t have rescued me anyway. So when you appeared, not only was I not afraid, I was actually happy. Big Beard, your chance to achieve merit and establish a career has come!” Before the bearded man could speak, I continued: “As long as you let them go now and pin the crime of attacking soldiers on them, won’t you be fine?”
The bearded man’s brow relaxed upon hearing this: “The method isn’t unfeasible… only, when the court’s troops capture them, they’ll still confess that we did it…”
“They won’t have that chance.” I patted my chest: “I’m here.”
“You?”
“I’ve been talking so long I forgot to introduce myself.” I took out a jade pendant from my pocket: “I am the current dynasty’s princess, titled Xiangyi.”
I heard all the bearded men gasp.
The bearded man stammered: “So you’re Princess Xiangyi. So the recent rumors about the Princess and Prince Consort breaking up are actually true…”
I drew out my words: “Absolutely true. So if you safely escort me into the Imperial City, I’ll immediately have the Crown Prince change the wanted poster to a kill order, so they won’t have a chance to spread rumors about you. As for you all, saving my life – forget about fearing punishment, a reward of a thousand taels is definitely guaranteed.”
The bearded man looked me up and down again: “Jianghu rumors say Princess Xiangyi is ruthless, cold-blooded, and heartless. Indeed, her reputation is well-deserved…”
I cupped my hands: “You flatter me, you flatter me.”
The bearded man turned his gaze back to Song Langsheng: “If that’s the case, you can only blame your bad luck for marrying such a wife…”
Song Langsheng choked upon hearing this. The bearded man waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to step back: “Leave the carriage, you can go.”
I imitated the bearded man’s waving gesture: “Go on, go on. Remember to eat something good on the road. If you don’t eat now, you won’t have another chance later.”
Song Langsheng sheathed his sword, looked at me indifferently, and curved his lips into a shallow arc.
Having watched me perform this entire farce, he naturally understood my intention. If these bandits could truly escort me back to the capital, that would be excellent. If they changed their minds at the last minute, it would be better for him to find another chance to bring reinforcements than to stay here and die together.
So he didn’t stay with me or say useless words like “if we die, we die together.” When the bearded man said to release them, he and Xiu Zhu didn’t hesitate, departing gracefully without leaving a trace behind.
After they had gone far, I smiled at the bearded man: “Thank you for saving my life. Now, I’ll trouble the Chief and all the heroes to accompany this Princess back to the capital.”
After saying this, everyone looked at me warily. The bearded man smiled back at me: “Your Highness Princess, it’s getting late today. How about I first find the Princess a comfortable place to rest, and we set out tomorrow?”
I laughed: “It’s not even noon yet…”
“Your Highness Princess.” The bearded man put away his smile: “We are all crude jianghu people. We don’t understand the court’s schemes and conspiracies, but we’re not stupid enough to be manipulated by others and walk into a trap.”
“What does the Chief mean by this?”
“With the Princess’s ruthless methods, if the brothers really escorted you back to the capital, I’m afraid it would be a one-way trip.”
“So the Chief still doesn’t trust me.”
The bearded man said slowly: “Human hearts are hard to fathom – one must be cautious.”
I found this very reasonable and nodded: “In the Chief’s opinion, what should this Princess do for you to trust me?”
The bearded man’s eyes flashed: “The Princess need only write a letter telling the Crown Prince how we brothers rescued you from that rebel’s hands. We originally wanted to immediately escort the Princess back to the capital, but because the Princess was unwell and couldn’t endure the hardships of travel, we had to temporarily shelter somewhere to rest and recover. When the Crown Prince announces that rebel’s crime of harming court officials, I will personally escort the Princess back to the capital.”
“Indeed cautious.” I smiled: “Just as the Chief says.”
The bearded man said to the others: “The brothers are also hungry – first find a reliable place to rest.” After saying this, he spread his arms and respectfully said to me: “Princess, please board the carriage.”
As a result, I just confusedly got on the bandit carriage. Although they didn’t make things difficult for me, they sealed the carriage curtains dead, and I couldn’t figure out where they were taking me. Anyway, we went to increasingly remote places. At first I occasionally heard human voices, but later only heard birds chirping – I didn’t even know if we had completely left the capital.
Hoofbeats clattered, wheels rolled. I was really too tired, so I simply closed my eyes to rest. Unexpectedly, I dozed off like this, and when I suddenly woke up, we had arrived at an extremely desolate village with few inhabitants.
I rubbed my forehead dejectedly, thinking to myself that I had only left a few traces along the road. If Song Langsheng and the others couldn’t find this place, this would truly be lifting a rock to smash my own foot.
When they stopped, the sky had already darkened. When I got off the carriage, I found we were at a medium-sized farm. The bandits all dismounted and unloaded cargo, seeming very familiar with this environment. From this it appeared these bandits were quite remarkable – clearly brigands who ran rampant in Jiangzhe, yet they even had lairs near the capital’s outskirts.
The bearded man ordered a young bandit to take me to rest in the most secluded room in the manor. I calmly took off a jade ring and handed it to the young bandit, smiling: “This young brother has worked hard along the way. This Princess doesn’t want to make things difficult for you. The truth is, I’ve eaten almost nothing these past two days and am dizzy from hunger. Could you please ask your Chief to give me something to eat?”
The bandit hesitantly accepted the jade ring, indicated for me to wait in the room, had two people watch me first, then ran off without a trace.
I lay on the bed and felt the bedding, discovering the cotton cloth on top was clean as new. Thinking of how many empty rooms along the way were full of spider webs and dust, yet the room where I was imprisoned was cleaned fairly well with tables, chairs, bed, and cabinets all complete – it was extremely strange.
But confusion aside, I wouldn’t refuse delicious food delivered to my mouth.
That young bandit was quite reliable in his work. Before long, he brought rice, wine, dishes, and a fragrant roasted chicken. After setting the table, he swallowed and said: “This was specially prepared by the Chief for the Princess. Please enjoy.”
I kindly asked: “Want to eat together?”
The young bandit waved his hands repeatedly, not daring to chat with me anymore. He quickly closed the door, locked it, and moved to a position where he couldn’t smell the food before stopping.
I wasn’t worried they would poison anything – if they wanted to kill, they could do so anytime, no need to rush. So before long, I had swept all the food on the table into my stomach. Only after I was completely satisfied and burped did I wait for that big-bearded chief to come “visit” me.
When he entered the room and saw the messy cups and plates on the table, he was stunned: “Your Highness Princess really trusts us – aren’t you afraid we put something in the food?”
“The Chief treats me so courteously – how could you have harmful intentions?” I drank some wine and said: “I just thought about those two burly men still guarding outside the door. Sigh, this long night is destined to frighten me into insomnia.”
The bearded man laughed heartily, waved his hand to have the bandits guarding the door retreat a hundred paces away, and asked: “Like this, is the Princess satisfied?”
I hadn’t answered yet when the next moment, I saw him turn around to close the wooden door and bolt it. His action made my heart sink, and I quickly stood up: “The Chief only wants me to write a letter – why send others away?”
The bearded man paid no attention, his eyes growing deeper as he approached me step by step, his pace steady but unhesitating.
Could it be that he never believed my words from the beginning, kidnapping me here not for money but for lust?
So this room was spotless and even had new bedding? Wait, there couldn’t have been aphrodisiac drugs in that wine and food, could there?
I suddenly realized the situation’s severity far exceeded my imagination. Knowing my identity yet intending impropriety, he completely disregarded any consequences. Even with a silver tongue, how could I shake him in the slightest?
He pressed closer step by step, I retreated step by step, fear spreading to my heart. Cold sweat ran down my spine, and I didn’t even dare breathe loudly, afraid any sound would prematurely snap that taut string.
When I could retreat no further and he was only inches away, my hair stood on end and I was about to cry out in terror.
Then he fell to his knees with a thud, raised his sleeves in salute, and said: “This subject pays respects to the Princess, may you live a thousand years.”
The world is full of strange occurrences. Now even bandits know to perform the most standard monarch-subject ritual to me – simply inconceivable to an outrageous degree.
Seeing my petrified appearance, the bearded man said: “Someone has been secretly watching along the way, so this subject couldn’t recognize the Princess in time, frightening the Princess. This subject deserves ten thousand deaths.”
I struggled to recover some thinking ability, hearing that his refined voice now was completely different from his loud daytime voice. Thinking carefully, this voice was indeed somewhat familiar, though I couldn’t recall it immediately.
Seeing my lack of response, he said again: “This subject…”
“Subject your big turtle! With that bearded face, who could recognize which one you are!” I finally couldn’t bear it anymore: “After talking for so long, is a self-introduction really that difficult?”
The bearded man chuckled upon hearing this: “So Your Highness has already forgotten this subject.” As he spoke, he raised his hand and tore off the entire fake face: “These years, Xianyang has often missed Your Highness Princess.”
Looking at this angular, handsome face, I rubbed my temples with a headache: “Zhang Xianyang, are you tired of being Governor of Zhezhi and have nothing better to do than become a bandit?”
Zhang Xianyang, Princess Xiangyi’s first male companion – strictly speaking, the first person I saved using the name of a male companion. Of course, he was also the one among all my “male companions” who held the highest official position and wielded the most power.
Hearing me say this, he laughed even more, simply standing up to look at me with a smile: “After so many years, the Princess is just as she always was.”